Cyclists weigh in on Armstrong confession

Published 4:32 pm, Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Members of the Permian Bicycle Association participate in a group ride Wednesday on North Midkiff Road. James Durbin/Reporter-Telegram

Members of the Permian Bicycle Association participate in a group ride Wednesday on North Midkiff Road. James Durbin/Reporter-Telegram

Photo: JAMES DURBIN

Cyclists weigh in on Armstrong confession

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Midlander Kelly Brown started cycling 12 years ago after reading one of Lance Armstrong's books.

Inspired by Armstrong's story, he trained tirelessly to become a U.S. Cycling Federation Category 2 cyclist, a ranking received through years of participation in cycling races.

"He was just different from everybody else," he said. "You knew he had that drive."

But Brown finds it hard not be disappointed in Armstrong now that he reportedly admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs. The confession is part of an interview Armstrong had with Oprah Winfrey that will air tonight and Friday on the entertainer's OWN network.

"The trust has gone out the window for me," Brown said.

David Ham, owner of Peyton's Bikes on Midkiff Road, said doping is a result of pressure put on professional athletes to perform well.

"They're expected to perform above what a human can perform, so (they) resort to drugs to do it," he said.

Jasha Cultreri, president of the Permian Basin Bicycle Association, said he "kind of doesn't care" about the doping controversy, but wants athletes to clean up their acts.

Doping has been an open secret within cycling for years, said Eric Burkhart, another Category 2 cyclist based out of Midland.

"You don't have to be a million-dollar athlete to use this stuff. You can find it anywhere," he said.

Burkhart thinks Armstrong's lifetime ban from cycling is extreme. Other cyclists on the U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team -- Tom Danielson, Levi Leipheimer and George Hincapie -- received only six-month bans after admitting to using performance-enhancing drugs, he said.

"Everyone that jumped on Lance's little wagon made money," he said.

Regardless of doping claims against Armstrong, many area cycling enthusiasts believe he made great advances for the sport.

"He pumped a lot of energy into cycling in Texas," said Brown, who remembers seeing smaller numbers of Category 1-2 cyclists at races in the early 2000s. Currently, more than 100 Category 1-2 cyclists may show up for any given competition, he said.

"He got people off the couch and (they) say 'Hey, I want to be like Lance,'" Ham said.

In 2011, The Permian Basin Bicycle Association raised about $6,000, which was split between Gifts of Hope, a nonprofit organization, and the Livestrong Foundation, a nonprofit organization created by Armstrong.

The Livestrong Foundation has done a wonderful job in increasing awareness and encouraging research for cancer, said Fatima Castillo, executive director of Gifts of Hope.

Cycling will go on, but reaction to Armstrong's interview likely will be mixed, Brown said.

"It's going to be split down the middle. People still love him," he said.

Armstrong should have confessed to doping years earlier, since his continued denial has adversely affected his credibility, Burkhart said.

Ham hopes Armstrong will be remembered for his legacy as a talented athlete and cancer advocate.

"He's still an amazing athlete," he said. "He did a lot for the sport."